Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-13

| MM to 'land turtles"
! !:
| MZMAMTSZ ~ Forty-seyen years
| HNSk4S&m >MtH&#W over"-ever since
| WhN,Ehg he was IA years old.
| I F""4~ A wonderful fresh
CAPT. MASON. ener and preserve
Of the human body is the sea. The captain
81 years are lightly worn. mot over 50.
any one would say who made q guess on hi
age. Born in Connecticut, with a gener
inheritance Of rugged Scotch blood in /.
veins, he has both the spirit and physiqi
which enable him to go forth into Neptune
kingdom without fear. Sharp brown eyes, {
rosy complexion, sandy whiskers and mus
tache and dark hair, grizzled little-these,
with short and comfortably stout body,
make up the captains personnel--exactly
| the kind OF man, one can see at a glance, who
| would be undismayed when others would be
| terror stricken.
Long voyages have been his fate of late,
| though he was for long time in the Atlantic
trade Now he goes to Yokohama and other
places as distant each voyage consuming a
year or the greater part of it. He com
manded one ship for twenty five years, a long
life for ship without accident. He was once
wrecked and lost his ship. His wife sailed
| with bin for thirty-fve years, and his
| children-two sons and two daughters-were
also with him until almost grown. In few
| weeks he goes to Spain, to Bilboa, which viii
be one of his shortest voyages.
why do you continue your voyages, cap
tain!' l asked. "Don't you feel as thong
| you had earned life of repose, aud don't
You want to quit the scar
"Wen, he said, Il still 60, partly from ne
ceSsity and partly because / can't resist the
temptation We seamen are honest ami
simple minded; not able to cope with thu
sharrers Oh land They generally fleece us
and send us to sea again, whether We VIII OF
no."
ut always seems to me that you rugged
men Of the water know no fear. How is iii!
asked
"We are often anxious, Of course said the
captain. During wild weather we have
our minds on leaks and other possible acct
dents; but as for fearing death--being Also
lutely afraid Of what lies on the other sid. 81
| it-why that never enters my mind, nor ali,
! other commanders mind"
Faith rel IN. have they anyr
"Very few tuat know are either blessed
or cursed by it. They think they have all
the hell here that they need. As for living
after death at all, they don't bother about it
Perhaps they do and perhaps they don't. At
any rate, that's afence they don't jump til
they come to il"
4superstitions, captain. have you any,
Your profession is credited with plenty"
Il am not troubled much that way. But
every man has his superstitions. own to
one. 1t is rats. When rats all leave a shin
before she sails I take it as q sign that that
ship is coming to grief, and l wouldn't care
to sail in herr
as that a standard superstition! And does
disaster follow the emigration of ratsr'
"fes, it Is firmly believed in I have i
from good authority that the rats get out OF
the way Of trouble
perhaps it is not so uncanny a sign aft,
all. Possibly the rats gnawing and burrow-
ing everywhere are shrewder than we think,
They may see signs Of leaks, or have knowl
edge OF rottenness not dreamed Of by til.
master Of the shipFn
y don't know how it is, y said the CT ptain.
but believe in it. No ratless shin shat.
carry me out TO sea if know it. Some can
talns draw the line on Friday. For me Frids,
was always lucky. But l know of a bar!
that was launched on Friday, had sewers.
acc dents happen on Friday, and finally We,
down on Friday"
Capt Mason says that sailors row ar
mostly Seandinavians. An American before
the mast is an exception There are tv-,
reasons for this. One is that Americans as f.
rule. are so intelligent that they climb in,
mediately out OF an inferior position in
something better. Another, and perhaps 1.
better, is that tire spirit OF the American is
- nature against filling a servile position
liz will dig, shovel dirt, chop wool, perfor-.
Tue hardest labor, and still feel 4 n; but l.
VIII not put himself in place where he Gil
% ordered, beaten, kicked or starved at II
wnin of another. He will lie no men;
~ervitor for any man. Every order of servi
that REQUIRES servile obedience and loss O.
Seif respect must he filed by forei,-rlers
American lackeys. coachmen and waiter, .
Few. The foreigner, used to feeling him
an inferior, comes here and contcntedly tax
mcuial service. But his children, born An,
bred here, have in them the spirit of freeSiom
which has made this the most beautiful CONN.,
try on the earth, and they feel themselves
individuals, men and women, with a person..
dignity that refuses to let them become serfs
Capt Mason is an expert in calculating
time and distance. In twenty different i'm
stances he has named ahead the date of ar
rival on voyage of 100 days He il bu. an
indifferent SghtSecr. Never was On he
Brooklyn bridge in his life, and never Cos
o see any q eat dc!ngs OF any kind when b.
IS in a foreign port
lie Is type Uf a class that ere long will
doubtless he utterly extinct Steam has al.
most driven canvas from the waves. ami with
the fnai departure of he sails go the sturdy
captains OF the past, the men who are pictu,,.
esqne and interesting in literature and IN
life. 80